Read Book

Chapter 18: A Gathering of Friends

Osho,In the old days in Mumbai, even though I felt physically so close to you, you were so far away. Now sitting here with you in Buddha Hall, where thousands of us move around you - compared to the room in Mumbai - I feel you so intimately and personally, like I never did before.Osho, have you dropped serious political talks and become more intimate and juicy? Your smile is happening more often than ever. Please comment.

In a very simple question you have touched many implications. I would like to go into those implications, because without understanding them your question cannot be answered sincerely and authentically.

In the days in Mumbai you were certainly physically close, but that very physical closeness destroyed the possibility of a deeper closeness, where the heart meets the heart, and where the spirit dances with the spirit. It happens because if you are physically close, people start taking you for granted.

Now nobody can take me for granted, not even the prime minister of India. I live in seclusion, in isolation. It was possible in the old days for anybody to come to me at any time to ask any stupid question. You will be amazed if I tell you about all the incidents that used to happen.

I was traveling from Udaipur to Chittaurgarh in Rajasthan. I was alone in the first class compartment. Suddenly I felt somebody massaging my feet.

I said, “Who are you and why are you unnecessarily disturbing my sleep?”

He said, “You keep quiet!”

I said, “This is strange. These are my feet.”

He said, “You simply keep quiet. I am very angry and I am very much frustrated, because I am also coming from the Udaipur meditation camp. They did not allow me to massage your feet and those guys were always surrounding you, so I thought, ‘Let us wait, because he will pass through Chittaurgarh.’ So I left ahead of you and I have been waiting here. Now nobody can prevent me. And I know certainly that you are so loving, you will not prevent me.”

I said, “I am loving and I don’t want to prevent you, but you should also be compassionate towards me.tired after a seven day camp. I had just fallen asleep.”

But he wouldn’t listen. For two hours continuously.. I had to persuade him, “If you don’t listen to me then I will have to pull the chain and call the conductor.”

He said, “My God, I had never thought about that. You can do that.”

I said, “I have every birthright to protect myself, at least from people like you who can’t see a simple thing: I am tired and I don’t want to talk, I want to sleep.”

Just with this threat, he got off at a small station somewhere. But from the window he said, “At least touch my head.”

I said, “You have tired me for two hours continuously massaging my feet, and now I have to massage your head!”